I’ll be honest – I am someone who loves cardio! From running half and full marathons to teaching multiple indoor cycling classes per week at Cyclebar, I absolutely love sweating while getting my heart rate up. However, even though I love cardio, I will always lift weights because there are so many advantages of strength training that you miss out on some major benefits by skipping the strength training workouts. 

What are the Advantages of Strength Exercise?

While cardio is important (and is something that I personally love), strength training has many more benefits that can help you get to your goals quickly and safely. Learn about 5 benefits of strength training, especially for women who are trying to lose weight:

1. Weight training burns more calories than cardio.

Overall, weight training burns more calories than steady-state cardio. Let me guess what you’re thinking right now – Something along the lines of “WAIT! But my Apple watch tells me I burn more calories during a spin class than I do during a strength training class!” And while yes, that is true - you tend to burn more calories during a cardio workout than you do during a strength training workout, let me explain what I mean. 

During your strength training workout, you'll probably burn fewer calories because your heart rate is lower than it is during a cardio workout. However, during the 24 hours after your weight session, your body burns more calories than it does during the 24 hours after a cardio workout. This “afterburn effect” is referred to as Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC). Research suggests that strength training increases the EPOC effect more than cardio does. Simply put, one of the 5 benefits of strength training is that doing strength training workouts boosts your metabolism, and you'll be burning more calories for a longer period of time!

2. You can eat more food (and still lose weight)!

It's simple – muscle requires more fuel to maintain than fat does. The more muscle you have in your body, the more calories you can eat to keep your body properly functioning. In other words, the more lean muscle mass you have on your body, the faster your metabolism will be! And the only way to increase your lean muscle mass is to pick up the weights (and to eat enough protein!) 

3. Your bones will become stronger. 

One of the other 5 benefits of strength training is that weight training adds stress to your bones. As scary as this might sound, it’s actually a GOOD thing! As a result of the added stress, your bones become stronger and more dense. This helps to prevent the loss of bone density, which can begin when women hit their mid-30s. In addition, strengthening your bones can help protect you from fractures and breaks in the future.

4. Strength training can help boost your mood!

Research suggests that strengthening your muscles can also strengthen your mental health! A 2018 meta-analysis found that throughout 33 different studies, ALL participants who participated in strength training reported feeling a more positive mood than their control counterparts. In addition, the meta-analysis suggests that strength training also helps to improve moods for those who suffer from depression. 

5. You increase your chances of living longer

Of all 5 benefits of strength training that we’ve covered, this one is by far the most important (at least to me!) A new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology suggests that women who lift weights for 2-3 days a week reduce their risk of premature death by 24%. WOW! 😱 Even better news - you do not need to be a bodybuilder in order to see these benefits! Simply lifting weights for 20-30 minutes a few times a week contributes to all of these benefits!

Customized Workouts With Strong With Sarah

So, what are the advantages of strength exercise? While cardio is important to help burn calories and to help improve your heart health, the 5 benefits of strength training surpass those of cardio when it comes to gaining muscle, losing weight, and living a longer life.

At Strong with Sarah, we offer the option to add on customized strength workouts to any level of coaching. If you’re looking to add strength training to your life but feel unsure of how to get started or feel self-conscious going to the gym, learn more about how we can help you create a strength training routine that fits into your life and that helps you lose weight!